Undergarment



A. E. CLARKE. UNDERGARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1920.

1,398,624. Patented Nov, 29,1921.

avweuto'a 14190-11 12 E. Clarke,

um'rso STATES PATENT or-Flee.

UNDERGARMENT.

Application filed May 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALGERNON CLARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in union undergarments, and its object is to give ample expansion of the back of the waist to compensate the different amounts of strain caused by different positions of the body, as in changing from a standing, into a stooping position.

I attain this object by the construction shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a back elevation of the waist part of the garment; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a complete garment; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the elastic insert and the parts of the garment adjacent thereto showing the application of the supporting belts.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawing 1 represents the upper, or waist part of the garment, 4 is the lower part of the garment, 2 shows the arm scyes, 6 shows the neck opening and 5 shows the bifurcated part, or legs. In the back of the garment I insertan elastic webbing 3 between the upper part, 1, and the lower part, 4, to provide for expansion of the garment longitudinally when the wearer stoops, or bends forwardly. The upper fabric and the Webbing meet practically upon the line 00-00, edge to edge, thus averting the danger of forming a thick fold upon this line. In connection with this elastic feature, I provide for further expansion, or elasticity of .the waist by placing folds therein as follows:

In forming the waist it is cut sufficiently broad to allow me to form the overlapping parts represented at ab ac as follows: The part c is folded under the main fabric of which the garment is made forming a loose fold at bc and tapering upwardly until the folds are made to terminate at points well up upon the shoulders, as indicated at a in Fig. 1. The two outermost folds should be formed at considerable of an incline from the perpendicular, extending from the belt outwardly toward the arm scyes 2, as indicated, so that the bending of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 29, .1921.

1920. Serial No. 383,979.

the body will draw upwardly as well as inwardly upon the folds and thus provide considerable stretch, or expansion of the fabric when the body is bent forwardly. It will be readily understood that with the stretch provided for in the folds ab0, and the natural stretching of the webbing 3 I am able to so far compensate for the difference of size of garment between the two positions named, namely, an erect position of the body, and a 'stooping position of the same, as to add greatly to the wearing qualities of the garment, as more garments of this class are worn out by too much strain upon the warp and woof of the fabric from which it is made, than from the natural wear of the garment 'so constructed as to overcome undue strain upon the fabric, as herein provided for. I

It is'not necessary to provide any means for protecting the front of the garmentfrom strain under the conditions stated, and no strain can, of ,course,be exerted upon the part of the garment below the waist line, if the garment is properly fitted upon the wearer, hence my invention relates to that part of the garment above the waist line and upon the back of the garment.

The all important feature of this garment, taken in combination with the construction hereinbefore explained, consists in the double belts, consisting of a ribbon of very thin, strong fabric, as 7 7 placed upon each side of the back of the garment immediately over the abut-ted edges of the garment fabric and the elastic insert fabric 5, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to hold the edges of the fabrics securely together without the danger of forming unpleasant and disagreeable ridges at the line of connection, which must exist if the parts were either overlapped or connected with an ordinary seam with the edges projecting. possible to move and bend freely in the upper section without acting upon the lower section. Also, it rendersit possible to bring all of the weight of the lower section, including the legs, to bear upon the hips of the wearer, removing all weight thereof from the shoulder and this, too, without making the belt line uncomfortably snug around the wearer, and all seat action is removed from shoulder action. That is, no matter how heavily the wearer may strain upon the seat section, none of said strain will be felt at the shoulders or on the back of the wearer,

This construction renders it as the portion above the belt and the portion below the belt work independently of each other, though they are intimately connected by the two belts, 7-7 and the elastic webbed belt section 8.

It will be readily understood that the plaited or pinch back allows liberal expansion for shoulder movement and chest expansion while reducing the fullness at the small of the back or waist line, without reducing the fullness of the cloth in front of the waist line, or stomach.

The double belts that connect the edges of the web with the corresponding edges of the garment at the opening in the back, together with the back plaits, eliminate the troublesome, unsightly, uncomfortable, stretchy sag so prevalent in ordinary union suits, and make a perfect fitting garment with greatly increased wearing qualities. The lower belt, which connects the web fabric with the pan taloons part of the garment prevents uncomfortable downward sag in this part of the garment, and the four plaits allow for plenty of roominess for any body movement of the wearer.

What I claim as new in the art, is:

A union garment having an oblong opening across the back from side to side of the garment, an elastic insert placed in said opening with the upper and lower edges of the insert and the upper and lower edges of the garment'fabric abutting each other, a

thin fabric belt stitched upon each side'of the fabric and of the insert covering the abutting edges thereof, both above and below the opening and folds formed in the waist part of the garment at the belt line and tapered to terminate near the arm scyes of the garment. I

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 14, 1920. V

' ALGERNON E. CLARKE. 

